A child’s greatest asset is their own imagination. The world around us is full of wonder and beauty which can be missed if that imagination is not given space to grow. Children instinctively know- and show- the way to access this world of beauty. They know how to stand, to look, to see, to hear, to feel, and then to enter in. 

They remember to look up and see a bird singing in a tree. They take time to close their eyes and feel a warm wind on their faces. They dare to climb a tree and see the earth from a squirrel’s eye-view. Childhood is the most precious time to expand one’s imagination. 

What can we, as parents, educators, naturalists, and members of our community do to give space for this growth? Inviting children into a natural space, and giving them tools to explore that space independently, is a simple first step. The Garden Friend opens a door into that space, and begins that delightful work that is best accomplished through the child’s imagination.